Van Buren County quorum court approves small appropriations, accepts 2023 audit and confirms two Equalization Board reappointments

The Quorum Court of Van Buren County on an unspecified date approved a series of appropriation and transfer ordinances, accepted the county's 2023 annual legislative audit and confirmed two reappointments to the Van Buren County Equalization Board, officials said.

County Judge Rabia Mays presided as the court adopted four appropriation or transfer ordinances that moved or appropriated modest sums into county budgets, accepted a clean 2023 audit from the Arkansas Legislative Audit, and confirmed two nominees to the county Equalization Board. Each measure passed on recorded roll call votes in which all members present voted yes.

The court adopted O 2025-17, an ordinance to appropriate $7,190.97 into county project 1000-084-3111 for a Scotland community grant awarded by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (division of community services). The ordinance text, read during the meeting, states the funds were awarded to the Scotland community and were appropriated in the 2024 budget but not spent; the ordinance moves the funds into the 2025 budget so they can be expended.

Quorum Court member Becky Page sponsored the Scotland grant ordinance. A member asked whether the funds were intended to pay for stove repairs and meals at the Scotland site; court discussion indicated a stove part had been repaired but the repair vendor had not yet been paid because the vendor had not realized the grant funds were available.

The court approved O 2025-18, an appropriation and transfer order totaling $5,803 to correct coding for workers' compensation charges from 2024 that had been paid from the county judge's budget. The ordinance lists dollar amounts to be moved from individual fund departments into the county accounting and auditing code so the charges are correctly reflected. Virgil Lennox sponsored that ordinance and the court noted the amounts had been paid from the county judge's budget because the items were coded incorrectly.

The court adopted O 2025-19 directing the treasurer to transfer specified amounts to several funds after Van Buren County received a Blue Cross Blue Shield refund. The ordinance text states the county received a $6,133.41 refund after changing health-care insurance carriers in February 2025 and directs transfers from county general into the county road fund and the solid waste fund. A county staff member said an insurance agent at Scarberry Agency helped calculate the transfers.

O 2025-20 moved $1,597.35 from the voter registration budget into the collector's automation fund to reimburse postage costs after the voter registration office mailed required voter cards using the collector's postage machine, the ordinance states. The measure was presented by a staff member identified in the meeting as Esther.

Separately, the court adopted a resolution confirming the reappointment of two members to the Van Buren County Equalization Board. Emma (identified during the meeting) told the court the two who agreed to serve if reappointed were Elvis Allen (appointed by the county judge) and Steven Matt Gilmore (appointed by the cities). The meeting record also named Sherry Richardson as the board member appointed by the school system.

The court also adopted a resolution acknowledging and accepting the county's 2023 annual legislative audit from Arkansas Legislative Audit. County Judge Rabia Mays praised county staff and elected officials for producing a clean audit, saying it is "exceptional" to have a year with no findings after a period with large capital projects. She noted the 2023 period included courthouse renovation, construction of a 911 facility, nearly $1 million in jail improvements and other capital work.

All recorded roll-call votes for the ordinances and resolutions were unanimous in favor. The roll calls showed the following members voting "yes": Mays; Nikki (Brown); Sarah; Bradford; Robertson; Paige; Lemmings; Bass.

The court spent little time debating each item; members asked a few clarifying questions about the intended uses of the Scotland grant and about the insurance refund allocations. No motions failed and no substantive public-comment items were recorded during the portion of the transcript covering these agenda items.